A decision on whether to grant medical parole to former President Chen Shui-bian is expected on January 5. Chen is currently serving a 20 year prison term for corruption. However, doctors say that his health is deteriorating.
The Taichung Prison, where Chen is incarcerated, sent his parole request and other relevant documents to the justice ministry's Agency of Corrections on Wednesday. However delivery was delayed because of traffic congestion. Deputy Justice Minister Chen Ming-tang said that the number of documents made delivery by fax impractical. In light of the fact that the approval process will involve several administrative procedures, the corrections agency decided against processing the request overnight.
Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je said he believes that former president Chen should be sent home to recuperate.
“Regarding ex-President Chen Shui-bian, my opinion has always been the same and that is to let him go home to take care of his health," said Ko. "Taiwanese people say when you do things, treat people with respect. There’s no excuse for the delay.”
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party chairperson Tsai Ing-wen said Thursday that the government should speed up the parole process, both for medical and compassionate reasons.